Taiwan Power Co. and Changhua County Government signed a memorandum of understanding Dec. 20 to launch a series of green energy development projects in the central county and its coastal waters.
This marks the first time Taipower has inked an MOU with a local government for cooperation on renewable resources development. The state-owned utility plans to invest about NT$200 billion (US$6.25 billion) in the construction of solar and wind farms in the county.
Taipower Chairman Chu Wen-chen pointed out that among the 36 potential locations identified by the Ministry of Economic Affairs for offshore wind farms, 21 are situated in the waters off Changhua. The utility has already begun the first phase of an offshore turbine initiative to build facilities with a combined capacity of 110 megawatts.
The second phase of the project, scheduled to begin in 2020, will take place off the county’s Lukang Township and have an additional installed capacity of approximately 900 MW. In addition, the company plans to build eight land-based wind turbines with a combined capacity of 16 MW as well as 100 MW of ground-mounted solar panels at Changhua Coastal Industrial Park.
Taipower estimates that, once completed, these projects will be able to power some 870,000 households. The company also intends to establish the island’s first renewable energy operations center at the industrial park to monitor offshore wind farms and provide green energy education and training, according to Chu.
Changhua County Magistrate Wei Ming-ku said his county, with its ample wind and sunshine, offers a unique environment for renewable energy development projects. Besides Taipower, several domestic and foreign companies have expressed an interest in building offshore wind farms in the area’s coastal waters.
Dong Energy, Denmark’s largest energy firm, for example, has filed applications with the MOEA to begin construction on four wind farms off Changhua County. The Danish company, which inaugurated its Taipei office in November, stressed its commitment to working with Taiwan’s public, private and academic sectors to support the nation’s transition to a low-carbon energy mix.
“The county government will do its best to assist interested companies and remove investment barriers to facilitate the formation of a wind power supply chain and create an industry cluster,” Wei emphasized. (KH-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw